Countdown to Easter: Bob and Weave

I love the result of this one. Definitely not the easiest, but it's nice to see the result at the finish. 

Countdown to Easter: Here's to Pipe Dreams

I wanted to create something that has the traditional design of an Easter egg though at the same time, bring a type of texture to it.

Countdown to Easter: Shimmy Shimmy Shake Shake

This egg was so fun to make and in the sun it is beautiful. It's. So. Sparkly. It might just blind you.

Countdown to Easter: Follow the Brick Road

Holy moly this was my first time dealing with grout and on an egg . . . let's just say it was a little challenging. I finished it never the less. Enjoy!

Countdown to Easter: Beauty is in the Eye of the Flower

Today's egg is super simple for the first Sunday of this countdown. I hope you enjoy it!

Countdown to Easter: They Call Me Humpty

Today's egg is a wonderful mix of a couple characters, the obvious one would be a childhood tale of an egg who sat upon a wall and then tragically fell. Can you tell what the others are? Leave a comment and let me know who you think today's egg resembles!

Countdown to Easter: Schmells Good

Working on these eggs every night has been something of a challenge. What's next? What's going to be something that might look cool or what is not going to fail miserably. Don't get me wrong if something fails, you are going to see it on here too. That's what exploration is about, succeeding, failing, learning, improving and moving forward. 

I've also taken to naming these eggs like someone would name their show dog or horse. I have no idea why except for it is almost as fun as wielding a glue gun around. 

Countdown to Easter: Sally's Sellin' Shells

My dog is in love with the egg platform. He knocked the egg off of it and ran away with the stand twice before I could get him to lay down and leave it be. My little man just likes to check everything out.

Countdown to Easter: Sequin Sparks

Today is the first day of Lent and I have decided to start a project ending on Easter.

Every day I will post a photo of an egg I have decorated in some way. Each egg will have it's own personality, look and feel. Some will be pretty and some might be some awful failed experiment.

Today's egg: Sequin Sparks

Meme of the week.

Ok so I gave in and made one of these. I couldn't help it. I waited and waited for someone to do it and they never did. So here is my contribution to societies need for memes.

Jr. Creative Advice: First Impressions

One of my friends has a great blog dedicated to selling yourself! You should check it out HERE.

In her latest post she talks about being nice to the person at the front desk. So important, especially because the receptionist isn't always only the receptionist. At Y&R the AEs covered the desk on occasion, at HWH we didn't have one, so the owner did a lot of the welcoming and here at MA, our Business Development Manager and Vice President cover the front desk at times.

When you go to someones office, treat it as if you are at your grandparents house or your significant other's parents home. You wouldn't put your feet on the table or burp loudly in front of them, it's kind of the same when you go into a new company, especially if you are interviewing.

The receptionist is your first impression. They are the first person you say hi to, they also see how you hold yourself before the person you interview with comes out. I guarantee as you exit, your interviewer and the secretary talk about you. It just happens.

What about the reverse? Have you ever gone into a place and the receptionist was awful? It's the exact same thing in reverse. People coming in to interview or do business will question what type of people work here and why they would want to come back. While the owner of the agency is the face of the agency to current clients, the secretary is the face of the company to the rest of the world.

As I began writing this blog, our BDM started to talk to me about an experience she had with people who were incredibly friendly. There was a company we were partnering with who ask for her help making copies and binding production books. While she could have said no for what ever reason, she took the time to make this happen. The task took about an hour and the woman ended up sending an orchid and bottle of wine as a thank you.

Everyone is busy. There are never enough hours in the day for anyone but you can't just sit there and talk about things or nothing will get done.

2012 Super Bowl Commercials

Pregame

 Century 21: "Teaser" Deion Sanders is a really nice guy (I've had dinner at his house) though this teaser does not benefit the brand at all.



Hyundai: "Victory Lap" - Womp womp. What a disappointment. Honk your horn if you're happy about the award that you won.



Hyundai Genesis R-Spec: "Faster Acting" - Meh . . .



Downy Unstoppables: "Amy Sedaris and Mean Joe Greene" - Another Rip Off . . . please be original or if you do rip something off at least make it better . . . WTF?!



FIRST QUARTER

Hyundai: "All for One - Workers sing Rocky theme" - Anytime employees sing together . . . the results are going to be scary.




Budweiser Platinum: "Factory"- More of a teaser or a warm up than a commercial. Nothing special or warm about it. Hopefully they get better as they go along.




Budweiser Platinum: "Work" - BORING Hopefully this product fails so we don't have to see anymore awful commercials.



Audi: "#SoLongVampires" - Enough with the Vampires already. I'm glad you are trying to get the tweens to want an Audi in five years but please stop torturing the rest of us.



Hyundai: "Cheetah" - This spot was stupid. That is all.



Mars M&Ms: "Ms. Brown" - I love the M&M brand and this teaser was really simple and cute. Hopefully the :30 second spot will be as good as the hype leading up to it.



This was hilarious and as tired of Sexy and I Know as I am, I loved it all over again with Red! Good Job creatives. I loved this spot.



Walt Disney: "John Carter" - Just another movie trailer . . . do I want to see this movie? No.



Coca-Cola: "Superstition" - It took me a while to realize what was going on in this spot. I just thought the bear had to pee then finally at the end I got it. Also, the bears are a little to CG-esk for me. Props to the AD, thank you for not putting the female bear in a pink scarf.



Lexus: "The Beast" - This spot is trying to position the Lexus as a muscle car. It will never be the muscle car nor will I ever look at



Best Buy: "Inventors" - This spot is boring until they get caught on the plane, nice addition. You all know that awkward feeling when you get caught not turning your phone off on a plane.

General Electric: "Power and Beer" - This spot sounded funny and then I saw it. Womp Womp. It leaves a lot to be desired.



Chevy: "Apocalypse" - Great spot, little elbow to your competition without being a dick. Classy.





SECOND QUARTER

Cars.com "Confidence" - This reminds me of the Beetlejuice sand worm and it is just plain creepy. Doesn't make me want to by a car from them, it actually makes me want to turn and run.



Budweiser: "Clydesdales - Return of the King" - This spot is so nicely done. Happiness is something that a lot of brands cover, though again it was a nice feel good spot.





Teleflora: "Adriana Lima - Valentines" - Yes show my man a picture of this woman telling him to buy me flowers. I'm sure he will really be thinking about me when watching this spot . . . Nothing great.



H&M: "David Beckham" - He's Hot, every woman knows that. You could have come up with something more than just focusing on his body parts.



Coca-Cola: "The Catch" - Really nicely done. I still think the bears are too CG-like. Also, thank you to the creatives for not making the male bear do the catch.



Hulu: "Will Arnett - TV Star" - This is STUPID.



TWO MIN WARNING 

Sketchers: "Mr. Quiggly" - Thank you sketchers for allowing the creatives to put the product on a dog. This spot is really cute and I like it.



Bud Light: "Use Shazam app for free song"- NEED VIDEO

HALFTIME SHOW


Toyota: "Connections" - Warm and fuzzy but not memorable.




The Voice: "Betty White" - I am avoiding showing movies TV shows and video games because they don't count, but Betty deserves to be seen.



Chrysler: "Halftime" - Clint Eastwood's voice is just scary sometimes. A little motivational but it makes you feel like you are going to get shot.



Bridgestone: "Time to Perform" - Interesting concept . . . but ehh doesn't really work well.



THIRD QUARTER


Volkswagen: "The Dog Strikes Back," - I love this!! Good job tying in last year's success with this year's spot. It's almost too disconnected to work but it's so awesome that it doesn't matter.



Century 21: "Smarter.Bolder.Faster." - I love Donald Trump and the Celebrity Apprentice but it's a dumb commercial.



Dannon Yogurt: "HeadButt" Bahaha down goes John Stamos and his frankensteined belly button. I still will never eat yogurt.



Toyota: "Reinvented" - Dear Toyota I hate you.



Acura: "Transactions" - I loved this commercial! Leno is a little creepy but good!



General Electric: "Something Big" - Good tribute to hard work and tradition.



Fiat 500: "Seduction" - Fiat did a good job of not letting many know they were in the Super Bowl. The spot, definitely held your attention and had a nice twist and the end.



Coca-Cola: "Argh" - This is the weak link to all of the others. It's cute, but not as good as the others.



Bridgestone: "Performance Basketball" - Do I have to like this because Nash is in it?



Budweiser: "Endless Optimism" - I really like this spot, it's a lot like the feel good Camry spot but oh well.  I can get over that.




FOURTH QUARTER

NFL: "Timeline" - Really nicely done. CG transitions are good.



Honda CR-V: "Broderick" - Way to rip off a movie to make a Super Bowl Commercial.



Kia: "Drive the Dream" - I love this spot. It is the Darth Vader spot of the Super Bowl for me.



Hyundai: "Think Fast" - Dumb. It would have been way funnier if he flew through the windshield.



Time Warner Cable: "Enjoy Breakfast" - Meh . . .



MetLife: "Charlie Brown" - This looks a lot like the Geico commercial.



Honda CR-V: "Leap List" - Slow and boring. 



Bud Light: "Here Weego -- Rescue Dog" - This dragged on a bit for me. Interesting concept but the twist in the beginning made it a little rough to sit all the way through.




Samsung: "Galaxy Note" - I liked this spot, why can't things like this happen in real life?




Prudential: "Day One" - Meh . . .




FIRST HALF (QUARTER UNSPECIFIED)

Go Daddy: "The Cloud" - I don't know who to feel sorry for more . . . the guys they are saying are so dumb or the women because they are actually in the commercial.



SECOND HALF (QUARTER UNSPECIFIED)

Go Daddy: "Body Paint" - You should really save your money.




SCHEDULE UNSPECIFIED

TaxACT: "Feel the Free" - Gross, does not make me want to do business with you.



Doritos: "Man's Best Friend" - This spot was funny. There are so many secrets your dog knows about you . . . why can't you know some about him? Really nice tap into a simple truth.



Doritos: "Slingshot" - Who ever approved this spot should be fired.



Cadillac: "Green Hell" - I like how sassy this commercial is while still being the classy Cadillac.



Chevy Sonic: "Stunt Anthem - We Are Young" - I LOVE THIS SPOT. I want to get one of these and tear the shit out of it!



Chevy Sonic: "Joy" - This was a good spot, lots of bugs and animals in car spots, but I liked this none the less.



Chevy Volt: "Aliens" - I liked this, it was cute at the end how he was protective of his wife and shuffles her inside.



Suzuki: "Sled" - hahah I traded it in . . . whoops!



CareerBuilder: "Business Trip" - This is a simple truth in advertising agencies. Playing pranks is a right of passage.



E*trade: "Talking Baby - Fatherhood" - This spot had a nice wrap up, a little boring in the beginning. The speed dating saved it.



Pepsi: "The X Factor Winner" - WASTE OF MONEY. If you are going to have Sir Elton John in your spot . . . have the man sing.



Pepsi: "Pepsi Max - Regis Philbin" - I feel like I am back in 1995.

Morning rodeo.

© 2012 Ashley J George. All Rights Reserved. 

Karin is a cowgirl . . . a very good cowgirl so this morning I went out to West World to watch her do her thing. . . I got there, super easy to find as it is near where I grew up. Finding Karin on the other hand, was not that easy.

I walked in to a place where there are dune buggies and golf carts whizzing by you, people on horses, people walking horses and people warming up horses. You definitely needed to focus on where you were going . . . but what do you do when you don't know what is going on?!

I spent some time enjoying the surroundings. Watching people command these beautiful animals into trotting, something with using the reins to pull their heads backwards and running around REALLY fast in circles. How could something so weird be normal? and why do you do that? and don't you get dizzy?!

After taking a few photos of these people I set out to find Karin. I walked up to this information table and thought it would be really easy. "How do I find someone if I don't know where they are supposed to be or what barn they're in?" This old cowboy behind the table paused for a second, I think to make sure I really just asked that question, but then politely pointed me to the registration building.

I go inside and wait in line as people are registering and then finally the lady asked how she could assist me. I asked her the same thing I asked the old cowboy outside. She too looked at me like I was crazy. Then asked if I knew the horses number . . . I said no . . . she then said she could only look them up by number or horse. "Oh I know the horses name." "Ok what is it?" "Peaches." About ten people burst out laughing . . . apparently horses are only registered under their proper names not their everyday names.

You could tell the woman behind me was frustrated, though she helped me and asked, "Do you know what they do?" All I could remember after being laughed out of the rodeo was that Karin did cutting from a previous conversation. So the woman pointed me to the arena where the cattle events were.

I went over there and watched the men do their thing for a bit, took some pictures and then decided to try and find some information somewhere else. I walked along the barns to the other information house and no one was there.

I then asked a woman on a dune buggy if she knew where I might find out barn assignments. . . she pointed me the the place where she found hers, though apparently I was too late because that information house looked like a ghost town.

Finally, after trying to be a detective, calling Karin and texting her . . . I decided to head back to the office with Peaches' apples. Looks like you're going to have to wait to get them until next week little lady.

Even though I didn't get to see Karin ride, I did get to see a glimpse into this amazing world that you hear about. The women are dressed up in this unimaginable sparkly shirts and everyone is wearing cowboy boots. It's pretty cool. Hopefully I will be able to share some shots of Karin and Peaches from their next rodeo, when we can figure out a meeting spot.

For some photos click HERE.

Who does this kid belong to?

Betsy took this photo. 

For the last seven months Betsy and I have been working on a campaign with one of our clients. We concepted, scripted, storyboarded and refined, refined, refined. Finally in the last two days we built a set, got all the props in and got our concept on film. It always is a surreal experience.

Our director and producer got here on Sunday to allow for talent callbacks on Monday. We sat through talent callbacks for most of the day on Monday just wanting to make sure everyone that was cast would work not only in their own scenes but cohesively across the spot as well.

Tuesday led us into our preproduction meeting. Here is where we go over the scenes/sets, talent, everyone knows where to go and how to contact anyone. It is basically the Bible of the production. It went really smoothly, and everyone is on the same page going onto set.

Wednesday was jam packed. We showed up to set super early and the construction of our sets started. The guys did such a great job and get everything set up really quickly. It's hard to explain the feeling of the vision you've had in your head for the last seven months forming in front of you by these big burly men. Once the walls started going up and fake windows were cut and placed the set started to come to life. The props started flooding in and taking their spots in each of the scenes. Everything started to be real.

Another thing we had to complete on Wednesday was getting all the talent's wardrobe chosen and fitted. You turn around and see all of the racks of clothing brought in. We definitely could have opened a pop up children's clothing store right there.

Once everything was propped, painted and lit Wednesday we were ready to shoot. The nice thing about having a set is that you don't have to worry about losing sunlight, you can spend as much time on set as you need . . . and that's exactly what we did.

Thursday we came in at eight a.m. and got started right away. Every single child on set was so incredibly well behaved. Once we got into a rhythm everything started to fall together.

On set we had the client, who made sure all of our interactions on set were authentic and appropriate to that age range which was a huge help. Our AE and producer who have been on this wild ride with us from the beginning, without the two of them nothing on this shoot would have been as buttoned up and simple as it was. Obviously the crew, who you read about above, and Betsy and I.

Honestly I don't know if there is anything better than seeing your idea become reality. Keep in mind that I am not married and do not have children. It's just a very special thing to be able to share your clients message with people through a concept you pulled from 1/2 strategy and 1/2 thin air. Without going into some sappy message, it's a pretty cool job to be able to shape the way society moves.

If you are interested in seeing photos from the shoot, please click HERE.

Projects here, there and everywhere.

Keeping busy keeps me happy and right now I am busy. There are a couple projects I am working on that I am super proud of. Here's a short update on a couple of them.

Betsy took this, I stole it from her Facebook.

At the agency, Betsy and I are working on a commercial for our client. That commercial is in production this week so you know I can't share much information about it. The producer and director were a great fit for this project and I can't wait to get everything wrapped up.

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With all the things I like to get myself into, I also like to keep a life on the side. This past weekend, I ran in The Color Run. SO MUCH FUN! It's a 5K where every 1K you go through color zones where you are plummeted with this colored powder similar to flour. So, you start the race clean with a white shirt and end a colorful mess. After you finish the run, every 15 minutes, they have a powder toss where everyone throws the powder in the air, resulting in the photo above.

If you can sign up for this I highly recommend it!!

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My personal project, The Tomboy Project, has been slow on the backers, though it is gaining ground as far as women wanting to get involved. This project is growing and becoming something that when finished, will probably blossom into something I can't even imagine at this moment. If you don't know what the project is check it out on kickstarter here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1029556983/the-tomboy-project

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As I am typing this, Leroy is snoring on the couch next to me. He has been a true blessing in my life, reminding me of what really matters in life and being such a great stress reliever. We are planning on running the Run. Walk. Wag. 5K9 and I've been googling training programs on how to get him ready for 3.1 miles.

He is so tired after 1.5 miles right now, so hopefully in about a month I can get him up to the 3 miles. If not, we will just do the 1 mile fun run. He can handle that without a problem.

Are you planning on running this with your dog? Let me know and post a picture of your dog below!!

The power of the pencil

Skull by Alan Robinson

In a world of computers, a simple pencil sketch won out. The reason? The idea was bad ass. That and with a pencil you strip away all the fluff, all the bullshit and there lying on a piece of paper is an idea as naked as you on the day you were born.

It's something all the pros did before us, haven't you ever seen Bewitched? Darren always had tear sheets and the client never expected something to be perfectly vectorized during the conceptualization stage. That is how it should be today. The computer is a tool you use to produce things. If you aren't in the production stage, TURN IT OFF.

What you say? You need to use it to do research? Why can't research be doing things? exploring? traveling? reading a real book? I believe spending time on the Internet to do research is spending time looking at things that other people have already done. Go do something yourself. In fact why are you even reading this?

The Tomboy Project

If you haven't heard of kickstarter it is a platform for creatives to raise money and complete a project. You submit your idea to them and they either approve or deny your idea. If you get approved, as the Tomboy project did, you then get to set up your project and try to raise the funds.

This platform is an all or nothing thing. It keeps it simple, you raise the money, you get it. You don't raise the money and you get nothing. Easy enough right? Well there is a lot more that goes into getting your project ready for launch. First, you have to figure out what in the world you want to do. 

Second, plan all of it out detail by detail and then figure out how much you are going to need. This was the scary part for me. When I realized how much it would cost to complete this project, my heart sank a little. I really wondered if people would donate that amount of money and then I just continued to work on the details of my project. The more I researched and developed the more I fell in love with this idea. I know that if I believe in me, I will be able to raise the $65,000 it will take me to document stories of tomboys across the country. 

I believe in this project because it is important for women, young ladies, and little girls to know there are a lot of tomboys out there and it is okay to be one. They grow up with a better body image, more self confidence and better relationships. If you are interested in learning more about my project and to help fund it, please visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1029556983/the-tomboy-project

Please back the project by choosing your reward level and clicking on the green back this project button!

Working from home

Telecommuting is becoming a necessity in today's culture. Not only because gas prices are rising and it's extremely hard to carpool but because no one wants to be stuf in a beige world for 8+ hours a day.

I found this article about a woman who decorates home offices, you can read the article HERE, I thought it was interesting because she is helping change the way people function in society. Until a meteor knocks a satellite out of orbit we are going to continue to fight for our freedom from this 9-5 life people created during the 50's.

For me working at home relieves so much stress. It allows me to be in an environment that I can make noise in, make a mess in, and not feel limited by four walls. It also allows me to actually get more accomplished. Think about how much time you waste sitting on the freeway because everyone has to be at work at 9 or everyone is allowed to leave their cube at 5. Why does everyone in the world have to be on the same schedule? It makes absolutely no sense.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when you do work from home, the assholes who need to be confined to an office think you aren't doing anything. When in fact it is the complete opposite.

Also, why do people prefer to sit under florescent lighting all day when there is this big bright burning star in the sky for 12 hours a day that actually provides nutrients to help your body thrive. Again, I don't get it.

Working from home offers flexibility with children. I don't have any, but think about how many latch key kids there are. Working from home allows you to manage your work so you can pick up your children and be part of their lives. No one ever wished they could work more on their death bed.

Some of the pros about working at home:

• Work all day in your sweatpants - This goes back to being comfortable. I see the account side dressed all fancy everyday and they just email clients and talk to them on the phone. You can't tell me they wouldn't be able to do the same thing at home in their sweats.
• Ability to work outside - Going back to the big burning star in the sky. It is good for you. Go get some Vitamin D to help build up your immunity. 
• There are webcams on every laptop allowing for video conferences - Hello skype or ichat or any other program that let's you see people you are talking to. It's just like being in the room with them, without actually having to be in the same room with them. Also, think about all the money you will save on pants. 
• Ability to pick the type of desk chair you want to sit in all day - Or not sit in all day. Sometimes I work at the kitchen counter and stand. It's important to be in an environment that you feel comfortable and safe. There is always someone at any job that just won't allow you to get thing done. Being at home you can at least limit their interference in your daily life. 
• Home cooked lunches - Think about how much healthier our country could be if people actually made food for themselves instead of trying to shove fast food down their throats just to make it back to the office in the thirty minutes they are allotted to relax and get food. 
• Companies save money on utilities - People leave lights on, they waste paper, they waste coffee. By allowing them to work from home, I guarantee they will waste less of everything. 
• Save gas - This is another hippie reason but truly it's good for the environment. I travel 50 miles to and from work on a daily basis. Instead of traveling south to downtown, I would rather travel north 10 miles and be at the lake. 

Some of the cons: 

• You have to make space in your home for an office - It might take a little while to figure out where you do actually work best to get things accomplished. This is one of those things that is like a con but is really a pro because it will force you to venture out and try new things. 
• Work surrounds you all the time, making it harder to create a work/life balance - This is something a lot of people do not know how to do. You need to make sure when you aren't accomplishing anything in front of the screen you go do something else for a bit. 
• Hiring people who can't handle the freedom - Again, you need a special type of person who knows how to handle the freedom. As much freedom as it is it is also a lot of responsibility. 

There are definitely adjustments that people/companies have to make when deciding to allow telecommuting. It could be as easy as every Monday people can telecommute. No one likes Mondays anyway. Or allow people to pick their days, rotate switch things around. Contrary to popular belief change is good people. 

Do you know of some other pros and cons of the telecommuting world? Or do you have your own home office? Leave me a comment or photo! 

Internet Blackout

They are calling it Hollywood vs. Silicon Valley. SOPA is causing some interesting havoc around the internet today. Many companies are blacking out their sites, some completely unusable letting people and congress know that we should stop piracy but not censor the internet.

And honestly, I don't think I should have to pay to watch an episode of Parenthood that aired two years ago. You people are already rich, let us poor people enjoy some freaking Nick at Nite style TV.   

Out of all of this, not just SOPA but occupy wall street/the world, it has turned people back to shopping local and supporting the little guy. I can't express the excitement of the shop indie movement this past holiday season. Let's keep that trend going. Shop local and indie year round, get people back on their feet and people back to work. It's what this country was built on . . . we did it once, we can do it again.

I have decided to black out Bruonis' Facebook page in support of not supporting SOPA or PIPA.

Here are some of the sites that have either partially or fully blacked out.

Happy New Year!

Photo by Taylor Lord - Click to see her website.

I spent my New Year in Austin, Texas at a good friend's wedding. I was not allowed to bring a date and that seriously made things so much easier! I was able to focus on me and what I wanted to do. Also, I was able to meet a great group of people (also single) that I would have never met if I had been forced to find a plus one.

I had the privilege of designing all of the paper products for the wedding such as the menu, the program, the I SPY and the thank you. They turned out beautifully and I will post them once I get back in to Arizona.

I think about all the things I have done since grad school and all of the people I have met. I highly recommend graduate school. The networking and opportunities I have had . . . I can't express the gratitude I have.

Anyway, back to the wedding. It was obviously a New Year theme with a fun vintage New York twist. Sometimes I feel like Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner. I love weddings so much and all the planning that goes into them, though I don't know if I ever see myself getting married.

One thing I loved about the wedding was the jewelry. The bride's mother, Molly, made the most BEAUTIFUL jewelry for the bridal party. Everyone was asking where they could get it and I think we are going to have to set up an Etsy account for her.

At the reception, I loved the wedding photographs of the parents and the grandparents were next to the cake. It showcased the generations so tastefully. It also got the grandparents and parents thinking about their wedding days and all the great memories they have had through the years.

Over all this was an amazing wedding and probably the best New Years I have ever had. Bravo Vogel . . . I mean Mrs. Mitchell.

Update 15 January 2012

Please visit Taylor Lord's BLOG to see the images from the wedding.